The VISES of Garage Journal

[jakemac]

WHAT ?? Your Millhoff couldn't handle it ?

 

[Outlawmws]

Re: Wilton and Craftsman Vise Estate Sale Find

I picked up these two vises at an estate sale. For $22 each I had to get them. The wilton on the right I gave to my father in law. The craftsman I am keeping. Knowing that people love their vises, do most people just use them or I've seen people take them apart and repaint them.

Have you not read the other 48 thousand plus posts in this thread?

 

[G-ManBart]

Also this is the first one I've seen that is not marked C0 ANYWHERE on it. Date stamped 6 77.

I've seen several Wilton combination vises that weren't marked with a C series number anywhere....I'm sure at least one was a C0.

 

[Bcom]

I have a 1977 C0 as well and it isnt marked either however my pipe jaws are held in with set screws and not pins too

 

[CwazyWabbit]

Quick question on value, what's a realistic price for a Wilton C2 to sell for? Obviously I'm in the UK and you never see them over here but I'd be interested to know how much you over ponders would value them at please.

 

[joe.striper]

Quick question on value, what's a realistic price for a Wilton C2 to sell for? Obviously I'm in the UK and you never see them over here but I'd be interested to know how much you over ponders would value them at please.

Restored I'd sell them one for around 500

 

[CwazyWabbit]

Cheers Joe

 

[drivesitfar]

CW: maybe a bit more in your part of the world cause remember Joe is in Vise Heaven and the buyer is maybe paying shipping on top of that. in my opinion the C2 is Wilton's best all around vise. which generation do you have cause i like the older ones with the double pins better than the newer ones.

Gany: i love that color so if you need a little help posting pictures just ask or PM me and i'll help you if i can.

Krauts: well Outlaw is correct (AGAIN), but in case you want the short version just bolt them up and use them cause they look like they are in decent shape. i'd probably take them apart, clean off the crud and wipe them down and maybe add some new grease and then bolt them down and use them if they were mine.

welcome to the forum BTW and we are pretty helpful, but there is a little humor in most of us so beware of that too.

cheers

 

[RedVise]

I dont always paint all my vises, but when I do... sometimes they come out pretty nice !
Small RAE vise I likely will add to the collection.

Brian

 

[Bcom]

I just watched a NOS wilton C2 sell for 500 on CL

 

[CwazyWabbit]

CW: maybe a bit more in your part of the world cause remember Joe is in Vise Heaven and the buyer is maybe paying shipping on top of that. in my opinion the C2 is Wilton's best all around vise. which generation do you have cause i like the older ones with the double pins better than the newer ones.

.....

Haven't bought it yet but from the pictures it looks to have two pins holding in the pipe jaws and the lock downs are just nuts, not acorn nuts, just plane nuts.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

I just watched a NOS wilton C2 sell for 500 on CL

Cheers for the info Bcom

 

[drivesitfar]

CW: i bet Bcom's C2 didn't last long on Craigslist or if it did i'd be surprised. i think new ones are about $1100, but since i haven't checked lately or bought a new vise in a long time that could be off somewhat now.

you'll like it if you end up buying it and it's in good shape. since it's about 100 pounds you might want to take out the dynamic jaw and make sure a prior owner didn't drop it while you are checking the date on the slide.

good luck

 

[Bcom]

Originally the guy had the C2 for sale for $900. I sent the guy an email trying to help him out and see the light that he wasnt gonna get that much even if it was NOS. He didnt know anything about vises whatsoever. I told him to lower his price to $550 and then accept $400-500 after negotiating. He sold the vise the next week for 500.

 

[trijeff]

Fully restored slash pimped out, mine sell for $400-500 (C1), $700-800 (C2) and $1200-1300 (C3) ... that's without shipping if applicable. Plus there are a lot of factors that would make it go up/down ... age, condition, completeness and originalness etc

 

[FMC1959]

Re: Wilton and Craftsman Vise Estate Sale Find

Just picked up a new old stock Jet 6-inch "extra heavy duty" - 9.5" jaw opening, claims to be unbreakable under 20 ton load test. Made in France?

Can't find a whole lot of info out there on it; looks and feels well worth the $100 asking price.

There are a couple of popular brands from France, Dolex being one
http://www.dolex.fr/en/ There's a fella selling one not too far from me, 7", but at $200 a bit pricey for now.

It's not a rebadged Ridgid, I have a Ridgid and although it looks similar, they are made in Germany.

This is not the same JET we have in NA either, unless this logo is really old.

If it is made in France, it is probably a top notch vise, probably similar quality to a Heuer (another steel vise)

You did good

 

[FMC1959]

EMMERT​

Universal Machinists' Vise​

Model 4A​

Very nice restoration CRS. The number 3 you painted on, is strictly painted or you found a way to do raised letters & numbers?

 

[G20-Budo]

Here is my method of adding Bronze balls to a handle. I am not a fan of a threaded attachment. I machined a 7/16 diameter on the handle and fit a ball nice and tight, just guessed at how much steel to leave for peening and knowing I needed room for capping the end with Bronze weld. After peening the ball on I filled the rest with Silicon Bronze with my TIG welder.

I just wanted to say that Kevin's vise handles are VERY nice! This is one he did for my Hollands vise.

Thanks for the great job Kevin!

 

[honza.vosalik]

Hi everyone. A couple of pics and a couple of questions.

First pic is of a Prentiss #20 swivel jaw. See that little ******* pin? It took me almost 3 months to get it out! I was so relieved to get it apart.

Other pics are of a Wilton C0 I am restoring. I love the naked finish prior to painting. Here are my questions. Did these ever come red? This bad boy started life red and it was the base paint on there. I have seen Tradesman vises in Snap-On red but not the C Series. It originally came out of a school, the gum shoved in the allen head bolts is always a dead give-away. Also this is the first one I've seen that is not marked C0 ANYWHERE on it. Date stamped 6 77. I have also presented pics of the jaws which I redid.

On this picture are two C0s. On the left side one made in 2000. On the right one made in the 70s, I sold this one to another GJ member. I personally like the look of the older one better, but you can see on the newer one that it's build more sturdy. The older one did not have the "C0" stamping either. I still have the one on the left side, it's handle is slightly bent, but besides that in perfect condition. I will probably sell it though to move some stuff around and buy some other items. I think for $200 it could sell.


There's a Wilton C0 for sale on CL in red. No clue if it's original paint.
http://sacramento.craigslist.org/tls/5853281244.html

 

[RagTopTA]

Here's a few I have picked up in garage sales the last few months.

A big Wilton pipe combo, a couple of Colombians, and a Craftsman, and one little one with no names.

 

[Shiftless]

Joe:
Thanks for the details.
Congrats on your success!
My Reed pin is soaking in the highly recommended acetone/ATF mixture.
As Mick J. said..."time is on my side"

When I get around to working on it again I plan to use Carla's technique of using a manifold stud screwed into the pin to make a puller.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

Cheers for all the info on the C2's I'll let you know if it becomes mine!

 

[CRSINMICH]

Very nice restoration CRS. The number 3 you painted on, is strictly painted or you found a way to do raised letters & numbers?

FMC: Thanks! The 3 is hand painted onto the flat surface. I considered trying to mold a number out of epoxy putty but I'm not much of an artist. I'm a bit surprised that the painted 3 came out as well as it did - and on the first try too. Mrs. Capitan, my 1st grade teacher, would be pleased.

 

[Shiftless]

I just got this unusual clamp on vise. Anybody know history of vises from this company in Long Island City, N.Y.?
G.M. Co. Manufacturing Company
2 1/2 inch wide smooth jaws. Very little wear.
It's super clean and ready to use. Still wearing its original paint with label intact. Paid $10

 

[trijeff]

Shift, think it may be a rebranded Millers Falls but not certain. Really clean and, for $10, a great pick up!

 

[FMC1959]

FMC: Thanks! The 3 is hand painted onto the flat surface. I considered trying to mold a number out of epoxy putty but I'm not much of an artist. I'm a bit surprised that the painted 3 came out as well as it did - and on the first try too. Mrs. Capitan, my 1st grade teacher, would be pleased.

Very well done. I can't say what it looks like in person, but on your pics, you really can't tell that it is hand painted unless you really eyeball it.

Has anyone tried to replace a missing or ground off raised letter/number? Anyone know of any kind of molds (arts & crafts stores?) to make a letter that could be glued on? Or any other ideas?

 

[mike_paxton]

I just got this unusual clamp on vise. Anybody know history of vises from this company in Long Island City, N.Y.?
G.M. Co. Manufacturing Company
2 1/2 inch wide smooth jaws. Very little wear.
It's super clean and ready to use. Still wearing its original paint with label intact. Paid $10

Shiftless:

G.M. Co of Long Island seemed to make/sell quite a few things.

Couple weeks ago, picked up this item by G.M. Co and not exactly sure what it was used for.

Mike

 

[Outlawmws]

Shift that style/modle of vise was made or sold by many different companies. MF , Stanley, etc... and its still made & sold. I've no clue if they are all knock offs, or contract vises...(probably both over time)

You can find them bench mount (rare) and with a swivel base clamp (more common)

 

[G-ManBart]

It's been raining Wiltons here lately....1955 production 9350 I picked up today. The only real downside is it has smooth jaws, but they're in good shape, and it barely has any marks on it anywhere.

 

[Mark in Indiana]

I just got this unusual clamp on vise. Anybody know history of vises from this company in Long Island City, N.Y.?
G.M. Co. Manufacturing Company
2 1/2 inch wide smooth jaws. Very little wear.
It's super clean and ready to use. Still wearing its original paint with label intact. Paid $10

Shift,
That looks like a Vindex, Brown & Sharp, or Walker-Turner "Driver" vise. I believe that Drives has a Wilton that looks like your vise. They all have a bird beak cast in the dynamic jaw body, at the handle. Also, they have very tight, precise movement for a little clamp-on vise.

You did real good. Below is the Vindex vise that I regret selling, 3 years ago:

 

[Mark in Indiana]

All,
Here's a Parker 474 (double swivel) vise that I picked up the other day. The restoration will be an interesting challenge, but I was able to free up the vertical movement with little effort.

 

[KMScott]

All,
Here's a Parker 474 (double swivel) vise that I picked up the other day. The restoration will be an interesting challenge, but I was able to free up the vertical movement with little effort.

Nice vise Mark, If you need spec:s on the lock downs I could shoot you a drawing. This one I am working on was froze too, I used a little heat (200F) and auto trans fluid to un freeze the Dynamic slide movement and the round swivel for the rotating part of these vises. These are nice vises. Good luck with yours.

 

[Mark in Indiana]

KM,
Thanks for the compliment and offer of dwgs.
I was afraid that it would have been like my last frozen vise, the 100 year old Reed, which took around 5 tons to press apart, after a couple of months soaking in kerosene, then a few weeks with ATF/acetone. This one, I'm looking forward to making a spindle retainer and cleaning up an old crack repair.

 

[Bcom]

Cheers for all the info on the C2's I'll let you know if it becomes mine!

theres a c2 for sale on CL right now in WVa for $250
http://wheeling.craigslist.org/tls/5850862320.html

 

[FMC1959]

Quick question on value, what's a realistic price for a Wilton C2 to sell for? Obviously I'm in the UK and you never see them over here but I'd be interested to know how much you over ponders would value them at please.

CW, did you find a rare one on your side of the pond you are trying to get a gauge on what to offer, or are you looking to get one in the US shipped to you?

Good luck either way, they are great vises. (Wilton combos are definitely top 5 must haves for me)

 

[Shiftless]

Guys:
Thanks for the input on my G.M. clamp on vise

Here is a shot showing the birds beak detail that Mark mentioned in an earlier post.

 

[drivesitfar]

Mark: congrats on finding a rare bird like that Parker.

Shift: here's my little Wilton i posted a few weeks ago that Mark remembered looks a lot like yours.

BCom: another member was asking us about that C2 and i'm curious what it would take to beat a hole in an anvil like that. great price for a great vise though.

 

[Shiftless]

Drives:
Your Wilton looks just like my G.M.

 

[ganymede]

Shift,
That looks like a Vindex, Brown & Sharp, or Walker-Turner "Driver" vise. I believe that Drives has a Wilton that looks like your vise...

Brown & Sharpe made clamp on vises ?
I can't find them in any of my catalogs (1893, 1905, 1911, 1920, 1926, 1929, 1935, 1938, 1941, 1951, 1954 or 1958.)
If they did I must have one !! It'll keep my B&S toolmaker vise company.

 

[engineer2]

Time to join the GJ vise obsession. Got a Wilton 8-643 1/2, a very common model. Well used, but a good restoration candidate. Paint in a hidden area appears to be dark gray. What's a good match? Best of all, it was free. Similar in size to my Craftsman 891-5180 which has served me well for decades.